


Spume

by Sleeping_Obsidian



Series: Changing Tides [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Family, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Kakashi as substitude Hokage, NonCanon!Sarutobi, Not Canon Compliant, Paperwork, Sarutobi on Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-12 23:35:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23160616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sleeping_Obsidian/pseuds/Sleeping_Obsidian
Summary: Sarutobi Hiruzen needs a lot of things. Danzo to stop being an asshole. An successor. To spend more time with his family. A shitton of alcohol. And a much needed vacation.Getting a vaction and spending some time with his family is easy, he just has to leave someone else in charge for a while.Good that his village has Shikaku and Kakashi. They will be able to handle the village. The paperwork on the other hand might be a problem.
Relationships: Sarutobi Asuma & Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sarutobi Himari & Sarutobi Hiruzen
Series: Changing Tides [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1664890
Comments: 7
Kudos: 112





	Spume

**Author's Note:**

> Should I be starting another series when I haven't finished my wips? Probably not. But I did it anyways.
> 
> This happened because I thought Sarutobi needed a vacation

_Spume_  
Noun | Meaning:  
a white mass of bubbles or froth on the top of a wave

A calming silence hangs over the village. The sun just peeking over the horizon, dusting homes and streets in a warm glow. The birds have just begun their morning song. Occasionally a night owl, more often than not a shinobi on night duty, will stalk through the streets on their way home – catching up on a good nights sleep.

Sighing he straightens in his chair. His tired muscles aching and old bones creaking under the strain. He had pulled an all nighter in the office. At the end of yesterday there had so much paperwork been left that he had decided to pull through and to lessen it somewhat.

Now looking at the load of paperwork on his desk, despair wells up in him. Hot burning anger at all that paperwork and he knows it is going to be more by the end of this day. And the head start that he will have gained due to his all night will be nullified. His teeth grinding he stares at all that paperwork. That will be another day and night spent away from his family – again.

Hadn’t he given the village enough of himself and his happiness. He had sacrificed family and love for the village. Biwako, the love of his life, dying to protect the future of the village. Her smiling face now nothing but a distant memory. Asuma, his son and pride, feeling so distant from him that he left the village to serve in the capital. His little shadow gone with the last flicker of a flame. Himari, his beautiful daughter, he hadn’t been able to spent so much time with her like he wanted due to his duties. She has grown from a young girl to a women with her own family – without him,

He has raised and taught three of the greatest Shinobi – the Sannin. They had fallen apart after some time. Suffered under the strain of expectations, under the crushing weight of guilt. He had sacrificed his students safety and happiness for the village. Had seen Tsunades despair to late, the pitying looks thrown at her leaving back. Hadn’t realized the survivors guilt that sat heavy on Jiraiyas shoulder, those longing glances following one person as they walk away from him. Hadn’t noticed the ostracization inflicted on Orochimaru, the harsh whispers winding around him like chains. He hadn’t heard their silent cries for his help. He hadn’t been able to help them.

His chosen successor had died for the village together with his wife, leaving their newborn child orphaned. His chosen successor and second choice dying both to the same attack. Their child ostracized and treated the same way as Orochimaru. Had tried to help as much as he can. Only able to alleviate some of the pain and loneliness pushed on the child.

He had to retire from his much deserved retirement and take back the leadership over his village, before someone with far more nefarious intentions was able to claim the hat for themselves. Hiruzen is not blind. He had seen the darkness festering in the heart of Konoha. Knows that Danzo is behind the vanishing of children and shinobi alike.

There is nothing he can do. His hands are bound. Danzo has gotten the civilian council on his side, so far he had not found out how. Utatane and Homura, his teammates and former friends, have more often taken Danzos side than his. Their loyalty had shifted over time. The shinobi of Konoha see Danzo as one of them, to them he is an ally and comrade. Only a few mistrust him. To top it of. Danzo had been able to shift the Daimyos favour partially towards himself. Those are all influences in deciding the next Hokage.

Though in all possibility the Daimyo will be accepting any successor Hiruzen decides on, as long as they have a good enough reputation and Danzo doesn’t earn the Daimyos whole favour. But all of Hiruzens choices have been negated. His first two choices having been killed in the Kyuubi incident 4 years prior. His third pick turning out a traitor to the village and absconding with Tobirama-senseis jutsu. His last pick, while already powerful and with the perfect mindset for a Hokage, is much to young to inherit the hat from him and is still inexperienced.

So Hiruzen has no other choice but to hold onto the hat till his successor is ready to inherit it. That doesn’t mean he is happy with the situation. He has become far to tired of this job. It is wearing on him. Sighing he turns to the heaps of paperwork in his office. If he works diligent and fast enough then maybe he will be able to go home early and have dinner with Himari and her husband.

When an explosion goes of on one of the training grounds in the outer west corner of Konoha, five minutes after sunrise, he knows that his day is going to turn from bad to exhausting really fast. He already suspects whose fault it is.

He remembers clearly lecturing both Kakashi and Gai after they destroyed the last training ground. The paperwork involving is far to much, to have repeated incidents of it. But the two of them never seem to care much for that. Sighing he lights his pipe. His eyes trail the grey smoke as it curls in the air. Sinking deeper into his chair he imagines Himaris smiling face before him. His bright daughter. He really wants to see her. 

But what he needs right now is a drink. Something strong. Shaking his head he throws that though out. Alcohol is not always the right choice and also not really what he needs. What he needs is to spent some time with his family. To dance with Himari over wooden floors. To joke with Kenji, his son-in-law, over the warm scent of sake. Maybe visit Asuma in the capital, having him show them around.

What Hiruzen needs is a vacation. The problem is he can’t just up and leave. Konoha would fall like a house of cards. And what for? A vacation. Apparently he would sooner retire then be able to take a vacation. Unless he leaves someone else in charge. Not Danzo. Someone with the knowledge and patience to handle all his Shinobi and the civilians. Someone who is powerful and strong enough that would have the other villages think twice before attacking.

Easier thought than done. He doesn’t have anyone like that. If he had he would have put them in charge long ago and had retire again.

Shikaku had the knowledge and patience to handle the hat but he is neither powerful or strong enough. He doesn’t command enough respect to make the other villages back off.  
Kakashi is powerful and strong enough to make the other villages back off but he neither possesses the knowledge or patience for the job.

If only he could appoint to people for the job. Unless. It is only as a substitution after all. It would make sense to leave the both of them in charge for the time of his vacation. Besides he is the Hokage, what are they going to do? Say no?

Amusement ripples through him at the picture the two of them would make when he tells them that he leaves them in charge. Shikaku would just mutter something about it being troublesome and then tell him all the reasons why it is a bad idea to leave them in charge. Kakashi would do a runner and only return when Hiruzen promises to not push the hat on the young man.

That is if he is there when they get the message. Hiruzen always wanted to do a runner. All of his teammates had done it once upon a time. Even Kagami and he was always the one who was ready to do anything. A people pleaser. Hiruzen misses him.

Decision made he pulls out a scroll. He has plans to make.

Summoning his guards, Tako and Koi, he hands each of them scrolls with strict instructions. As the two of them leave he lays a scroll in the middle of his desk, where Shikaku will find it easily, and leaves his office through the window.

Wind rushes past him as he runs over the roof. Switching between the henge he had pulled over himself as soon as he left through his window. He wouldn’t be followed. After all most of his jounin left through the window. They are weird like that. But all of his best shinobi have some kind of weird quirk.

Quietly the three stalk through the streets. Bags packed with clothing thrown over their backs. When he had come home early Himari and Kenji had looked at him in confusion. When he had told them that they are going on vacation in the capital Himari had laughed in delight and thrown herself at him for hug. Kenji had smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. 

Hastily they had packed their bags and then left their home under a henge. Hiruzen hopes the village will be still standing when they come back from vacation. But for now he won’t worry about it. He is officially on vacation. Hooking his arms with Himari he remembers what Kushina had told him once, a long time ago. “Sometimes in the waves of change we find our true direction”. 

Hiruzen knows that the decision he had made for Konoha will bring a change. If it’s a good or bad change lays with the people. What he knows though is that his shinobi are strong and won’t sink beneath the waters. A changing of tides sometimes is necessary.

With wide eyes he stares at the scroll in his trembling hands. Behind him he hears the restless shuffling of his shinobi. Turning around to them. He finds himself unsure. Like a deer faced with a napping pack of wolves. One wrong move could mean his immediate death. Not that they would kill him. They are all loyal shinobi. But they could make his life more troublesome than it already is.

Taking a deep breath he explains them what has happened. Namely their Kage taking a vacation and doing a runner at the same time. Taking another look at the scroll he informs all of them of their new duties for the next time. Till their Hokage comes back.

Kakashi doesn’t look happy with the fact that the hat had been practically pushed on him. Genma on the other hand looks delighted that he is allowed to take Naruto under his wing. Shikaku knows that all of Minatos guard and Kakashi had wanted to have contact with the boy. But so far they had been forbidden from doing so.

Sarutobi though had found a little loop hole. Neither Shiranui or Hatake are direct Konoha shinobi. They are a loan of Uzushio, tasked with the duty to protect the Uzumaki princesses living in Konoha. It had been Mito first, when she had married Hashirama she had taken a delegation of Uzu shinobi with her.

The clans that had come with her had integrated good in Konoha but kept their Uzu traditions and duties. When Kushina came they had pulled her under their protection too. Now with Naruto being the last Uzumaki they are his lone connection to Uzushio. And as such they are completely allowed to be in contact with the boy. After all he is the head of the Uzumaki clan, no matter how young he is, and as such he is also the leader of Uzushio.

The knowledge makes the two young men much happier. Shiranui wrangles a promise from Hatake to join them for dinner with Naruto this evening.

As the two young man discuss Shikaku turns to Ryu, they have to tighten the security of the village. Sarutobi suspects something nefarious going on in the depths of the village and they will have to find it. Their Hokage after all will not just sit idle in the capital.

They will pull up a lot of trash and corpses people are hiding. He hopes in the end it will all be worth it. The tides in the village are changing. Hopefully for the better.

**Author's Note:**

> Come scream at me on [tumblr](https://sleepingobsidian.tumblr.com/) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/SleepingObsidi1)
> 
> I welcome art and anything of my fics


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